N.A. is a young gay man from Saudi Arabia, who lived his life in fear that others would discover his sexual orientation. He knew that gay men were often detained by police, tortured and killed‚ and he also knew that his family would disapprove or even turn him in to the police if they found out about his sexual orientation. As a result, he often hid his feelings towards men, fearing the repercussions.

Growing up, it was very difficult for him to accept his sexual orientation while he was living in a society that treated homosexuality as a crime and where LGBTQ people were often killed. When he was sexually assaulted by a group of men and was unable to report the incident out of fear of more violence, he fell into a deep depression and attempted suicide.

Eventually, a friend from the United States suggested that he leave Saudi Arabia so that he could feel safe and heal. It was then that he started the process of leaving Saudi Arabia, and upon arrival in the U.S. came to NCLR and applied for asylum. N.A. was granted asylum on September 23, 2009.